brooklyn



W. DIETER.

GYROSCOPIC MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1918.

1 ,322,232. Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

INVENTOR WITNESS; ,I g1

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Nl/aml. @M49 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DIETER, OF BROOKLYN, -NIE-'2W YORK, ASSIGNOR TO E. W. BLISSv COMFANY, 0F

' BROOKLYN, N'EW YORK, A CORPORATION 0F WEST VIRGINIA.

evnoscorrc MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

l Application led February 26, 1918. Serial No. 219,2021

it in rotation. It is especially designed to' meetl the requirements of-gyroscopes for au-y tomobile torpedoes.

In such torpedoes the gyroscope is spun up either by a clock-work or spring motor, or by the action of compressed vair upon a turbine. The latter is the preferable means. It is important that the gyroseope be spun up to full speed during a very brief time, so that it may be brought to speed andunlocked, and thereby set free, while the -toredo-is either still guided within the launching tube or still retains the direction or aim given it in the launching tube, so that-this directionvmay be eifectually impressed upon the gyroscope.` For this purpose in an airspun gyroscope high pressure air is employed, that isto say, air at full flask pressure of 2,250 pounds per square mch, or upward. The How VJof compreed air is shutl off upon the unlocking of the gyroscope by the closing of a valve, these operations being timed'b a timing or counting-down mecha-l nism w ich acts after the spinning-up turbine has executed a' prescribed -number of revolutions.

A suitable construction of gyroscope and spinning mechanism as thus described is set Aforth in the patent of Leavitt, No. 1,185,210, dated May 30, 1916.

When-a gyroscope is thus spun up 'and unlocked, it continues running during several minutes under impulse of the momentum stored up in the y-.wheeh but as the flywheel is gradually slowing down, the directive energy of the gyroscope is constantly diminishing. It is important that the speed should not fall below a certain minimum prior to the end 'of the run of the torpedo. Torpedoes are now built to have a far eater range than formerly, and this fact increases the diiculty of insuring that the gyroscope shallV not fall below the minimum required speed during the run. To prevent this, it has been proposedv to apply' an electromotorl to keep the gyroscope up to speed during the run ofthe torpedo after the initial spinning up ofthe gyroscope. A

suitable construction for this purpose is set f forth in the `Leavitt Patent No. 1,145,025, of July 6,' 191'5.

The present invention has for its object toaccomplish the same result by means that are more in accord. with standard torpedo practice, and whereby the use of electro-magnetic e-Xpedients may be dispensed with;

To this end the present invention provides* means whereby 4the gyroscope' after being initially spun'v up in the ordinary manner may be maintainedI at speed by the turbine driving efect of compressed air. yIn the pre-y ferred developmentv of the inventionJ high pressure or flask pressure air isfemployed for initiallyspinning up the gyroscope, and 10W pressure air is employed for the sub.-

-sequent driving of the gyroscope, so as to keep it up to speed.

The .preferred construction is set forth in the accompanying drawings, wherein,-

-Figure 1 is a side view of the lrear or stern portion of a torpedo, being partly in vertical mid-section, wherein the parts are drawn in a somewhat diagrammatic manner to illustrate the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation kof the gyro-v scope and starting mechanism, the sectional portions being in longitudinal mid-section.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation'looking toward the stern, partly in section on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2showing the'spinning-up turbine in its active relation.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse section on the line 4--4 in Fig. 2, showing the turbine means for maintaining the drive of the gyroscope.

Fig. 5 shows in plantwo graduating or adjusting disks.

lFig. 6 is a section of two p'arts in Fig. 4 removed.v l

' Referring to Fig. 1, A'i's the shell or hull of the torpedo, of which B is the propeller shaft or vshafts driving in contrary directions the two screws C, and D is the lateral steering rudder which through the usual connections (not shown) is operated by a steering lengineY or servo-motor E which is mounted as usual on the'gyroscope casing F. The compressed air from the ask or reservoir when the starting valve (not shown) is open passes -by pipe c to the reducing valve G and from the low pressure side of the latter by pipe b to the superheater H, and thence by pipe c to the engine or motor which drives the'shats B (this motor being commonly a turbine as is well understood, and for simplicity is not here shown). From the high pressure side of the reducer G a small tube d is led in the usual manner to the spinning-up mechanism of the gyroscope. From the'low pressure side another small tube e is led to the gyroscope casing and conducts the air at substantially the pressure at which it is passed through the superheater'and fed to the engine to the continuous drive turbine of the gyroscope, as will be explained.

Referring to Fig. 2, the gyroscope casing F incloses in the usual manner the gyro scope J, which latter is of the Wellunderstood construction comprising a fly-wheel K plivoted by ball bearings or otherwise in an inner ring f which in turn is pivoted 1 n an outer ring g, and the latter in turnis pivoted on a vertical axis in a frame z, which comprises the fixed shell or casing of the gyroscope, and which is located in the usual manner within the outer casing F. Before spinning up, the gyroscope rings are held fast by a locking bolt el in the usual manner (being shown unlocked in Fig. Q For spinning up the gyroscope, a turbine L' is provided, the. shaitof which iturns in a slidf.

ing sleeve M and carries a' pinion j which meshes with either of'two pinions c on the iy-wheel axis. The high-pressure air1 tube b communicates through a valve m with a passage n leading the air to jet nozzles p which direct it against the turbine as shown in Fig. 3, the turbine at this time being in the position shown in dotted lines in iFig. 2. At the end of the spin theoperation of a lever g displaces slide M and turbine L and at-the same time closes the valve m and with- -draws the locke', thus shutting olf the air and freeing the gyroscope. By'reason of the high pressure of the air,l this' spinning-up operation is very forcible, and the fly-wheel is brought up to speed almost instantaneously.

For maintaining the air propfulsion'of the gyroscope, it is best to make the fly-wheel K serve as the rotor of a turbine, yfor which purpose it is shown as constructed withA teeth or buckets r, which receive the impact of jets of air from nozzles s, as best shown in Fig. 4. The air is here shown as coming by the tube e, which leads into a chamber t,

at the lower pivotal bearing of the outer ring g of the gyroscope; from chamber t the air passes up through a conduit into a chamber a, whence it issues'through the jet nozzles .s and impinges against the bucketsl to drive the ily-wheel. The nozzles s are centered along a plane which intersects the vertical pivotal axis of `the ring g, and.` hence nance turbine may be greatly varied, that shown is deemed preferable. The tube e leads into the hub h into which is screwed the lower ball bearing step o, whichy forms the race-wayfor the balls of the lower ball bearings. The air may pass through any one of a series of bored passagesinto the chamber t, which is hollowed out in the step or plugo, and closed by a special screw plug w. The

-air from t flows up through the ball bearing passing through an inner tube or nozzle as, shown best in Fig. 6, and through a passage y in the ball bearing cone, andv hence into the chamber u. The air thus enters axially and in a way which' cannot disturb the ball bearing or the gyroscope.

'Lt is important to be able to adjust the pressure at which the air is fed to the jet nozzles s. This might Ibe done, of course, by introducing any sort of regulating valve at any suitable point in the tube e; but it is more conveniently and simply accomplished by the means shown which comprises a disk z, of which two examples are shown in Fig.

5, and which partly closes the exit from the chamber t into the tube This disk z has a central hole which constricts the iiow of air, andthe size-of which determines the eiiective air pressure at the nozzles. By prroviding a series of these diskswith central orices of graded sizes (two examples only being shown) -the pressure of the air may be regulated to a nicety as determined by experiment. The plug-1w has projecting lugs or fingers which ast erplug is screwed home bear against the disk a and hold it tightly in place.

It is not to be assumed from the detailed description of the construction herein shown, that vthe invention is limited to such specific construction, since it is susceptible of a considerable range of variation. For example, the specific spinning-up mechanism is not essential to the invention; nor

`is the specific turbine construction for mainhigh-pressure air, a pressure reducer, a steering mechanism and a gyroscope controlling such mechanism, the combination therewith of pneumatic means for initially spinning the gyroscope fed from said highlpressure source, and pneumatic means for subsequently maintaining the gyroscope in rotation fed from the reduced pressure side of said reducer, whereby the gyroscope is initially spun by air at high pressure, and is kept spinning by air at low pressure.

- 2. The combination of Vclaim 1, with means for controlling the reduced pressure fed to the maintaining means, to thereby Adetermine the driving effect of the latter.

3. The combination -of claim v'1, with means interposed in the `conduit between such pressure reducer and pneumatic maintaining means for further reducing such pressure before feeding it to said maintainingmeans.

1i.v The combination of claims l and 3, such reducing means consisting of a removable perforated diaphragm adapted to be introduced in the air conduit, which may be replaced by a similar diaphragm having a perforation of dierent area. l

5. The combination of claims l and 3, such reducing means comprising a chamber in the air conduit, a cap closing said chamber, and a removable disk inserted in said chamber and held therein by said ca said disk having a perforation traversed y the air.

6. In a torpedo lcomprising a source of Aperforation traversed by the air.

high 'pressure air and means for delivering air at materially reduced pressure, a steering` mechanism and a gyrosoope controlling such mechanism, with pneumatic means for initially spinning the gyroscope fed from said air, whereby to vary the effect of such pneumatic'maintaining means.

7. The combination of vclaim 6, the means for further diminishlng such pressure comprising a removable perforated diaphragm introduced in the air conduit and adapted to" be replaced by a similar diaphragm having a perforation of different area. 8. The ,combination of claim 6, `such ymeans for further diminishing the pressure comprising a chamber in the air conduit, with a cap for closing such chamber, and a removable disk in vsaid chamberk having a' 9. The combination of claim 6,

comprising a chamber in the air conduit, a cap closing said chamber, and a removable 'disk inserted in said chamber and held therein by said cap, `said disk having a perforation traversed by the air.

such` 4means for further diminishing the pressure 40 high pressure source, the combination thereln witness iwhereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

WlLLIAM DETER. 

